OC Kids Looking Good

Orange County’s younger set. At last week’s meeting, the Board of Supervisor reviewed and received the 11th Annual Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, which measured key indicators affecting OC minors.

Three important areas of improvement:

CRIME: Fewer kids are committing crimes. Despite continuous population growth, total juvenile arrests declined by 43% in the past 7 years. From a high of 19,164 arrests in 1996, there was a steady decline to just 13,580 arrests in 2003.

During the same time period, youth gang affiliation declined from over 4,300 to just under 1,000, a dip of 78% True, gang membership statistics are iffy at best, with “membership” ill-defined and not publicly reported. But careful monitoring by local law-enforcement confirms that both gang affiliation and gang-related crime have significantly declined.

There will always be frightening incidents touted by the 24-hour news outlets hungry for an audience. But by every objective measure, youth crime is down in Orange County.

WELFARE: Child welfare roles are also shrinking. In 1995 there were 77,106 kids in families receiving public assistance. Ten years later there are now less than half that number—only 36,245—receiving assistance through the CalWorks program. These figures reflect national trends, and are a testimonial to the bipartisan welfare reform passed by a Republican Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1996. Another important factor is lower birthrates among low-income women.

BIRTH RATES: Teen birth rates are also down by 62% over the past decade. From 62 births per 1,000 teens in 1993, the 2002 rate had shrunk to 33 births per thousand. Today’s typical moms are older and more financially secure than their predecessors.

Measure D and the Fourth District

This Tuesday, county voters will decide whether to divert 10% of the Proposition 172 sales tax away from the Sheriff and District Attorney and into the Orange County Fire Authority. After a 5-year phase-in period, Measure D will generate $34 million in additional revenues to the OCFA at the expense of Orange County’s general fund.

I have taken a position in opposition to Measure D. Part of the reason is how it will directly impact my Fourth District constituents in Fullerton, Anaheim, La Habra, Buena Park and Placentia.

Fullerton and Anaheim are full service cities with their own fire departments. La Habra contracts with the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. Residents of those cities receive no services from the OC Fire Authority. They would receive nothing from Measure D to offset cuts in county services resulting from the revenue diversion. None of them are represented on the OC Fire Authority’s governing board and would have no say on how Measure D funds are spent.

Placentia and Buena Park are served by the OC Fire Authority and are represented on its governing board. Those residents must weigh potential improved fire protection against possible cuts to county services or increased fees. Whatever the voters decide, I will accept their decision as final, without engaging in post-election legal challenges.